Rectifying of alcoholic liquid.



PATENTED MAY 19, 1968.

E. GUILLAUME. RBOTIFYING OF ALCOHOLIC LIQUID.

APPLICATION IILBD DEC. 9, 1902.

30%?a665 .W- W

EMIQLE GUILLAUME,

OF PARIS, FRANCE.

' nnc'rirrme or ALCOHOLIC LIQUID.

Specification of Letters Patent.

. 'late nted May 19, 1908.

Application ma December 9,1903. Serial No. 134,504.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EMILE GUILLAUME, a

citizen of the French Republic, residing at Paris, in the Re ublic of France, engineer, (whose full posta address is 18 Rue Mogador, Paris aforesaid,) have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rectifying oftillation and consists in a systematic and continuous method of fractionating composite vapors containing a number of components of varying volatility by taking advantage of difierences in boiling point and in vapor tension, enabling the production in one o eration of high-grade pure alcohol and h1gh-grade by-products from crude alcoholic vapors; all as more fully hereinafter set forth, matters of novelty being particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Crude alcoholic vapors, such as those arising from the direct distillation of wine, beer, etc., in addition. to the ethyl alcohol and water'which are their main constituents," contain a number of other bodies, partly, like aldehyde and certain esters, of a lower boiling point than alcohol, and partly of a higher boiling point, like the bodies forming fusel oil, and a number of other esters. Many of these latter esters have a high vapor tension, and, under the ordinary laws controlling the volatilization of mixed fluids, it is difficult to separate them completely from the alcohol in crude weak spirit by-ordinary methods used with ordinary column stills, such methods operating principally upon differences in the boiling' oints. These methods therefore do not eliver a hi h grade alcohol, such as is wanted in the tra e, in one operation, the product requiring a separate rectification or treatment. Unfortunately it often happens in such rectification that new impuritles are formed to some extent by the oxidation of alcohol to aldehyde, to acids formingnew esters, etc.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a method inwhich pure high grade alcohol and high grade by-products are directly prepared and to do this with economy in the heating agent. For this purpose, advantageis taken'of' the varying relations of the impurities named to alcohol of different strengths.

In, the preferred mode of carrying out the present process,l weak alcoholic vapors arislng from any c mm'on still are introduced into the heating chamber of a rectifying still (whose purpose later appear) Where the im art their heat to the contentsof this st' an become 'more or less condensed. .The condensate and uncondensed vapors are withdrawn from the chamber and introduced into a purifyin still where their strength is reduce somew at withwater and where the bulk'of theimpurities are removed. Preferably the strength is reduced to about 16 to 17 B. (30 to 33 per cent. of alcohol by weight). At this dilution, aldehyde, amyl alcohol, the various esters, etc., can be distilled away from the alcohol without any great amount of alcohol distilling. This is because the amyl alcohol, the esters, etc., have comparatively little affinity for, or solubility in, water and are much less affected in the matter of vapor tension than is the alcohol; this being particularly true of the mixed esters whose removal is ordinarily difficult. 'Advantage is taken of this fact by distilling said weak alcohol in a column still maintained under particular conditions.- The still is heatedat the base in the ordinary manner, either 'by the direct introduction of free steam or by the use of a steam coil, the former'being preferred. The feed however is'not at the to or base, as is customary, but at a point well above the latter. Interiorly the column is provided with the usual cups and plates. At

a point above the feed, water is introduced in 4 'one'of the-fractionating devices, while above this again the column extends to some dis tance. The high boilin products in the vapor passing-the water in ct are fractionated out and are partially removed by this draw off. The part which is removedby the said draw off contains the bodies constituting or- I dinary amyl alcohol and in addition a number of esters like isovalerate of isoam l, ethyl acetate, isovalerate of ethyl, ethyl lsobutyrate, etc. which are more diflicult of removal A from alcohol than is amyl alcohol because of their high vapor tension, in ordinary fractionation and concentration of .alcohol but which here will separate readil because of the exceedingly dilute state of t e alcohol m the column, The said part is condensed above the water inlet, because in this region of the column the diluted state of the products diminishes progressively, and the bodies condensed b a speclal arrangement and recovered. Tl ie strength of the alcohol in this purifying operation 1s advantageouslyv about 16 to 17 B., say 30 to 33 per cent. by weight,

- as with this strength the described separationproceeds easily. V

' In the above described operation, it will be seen that weak alcohol is purified by removing both low boiling impurities of the nature of aldehyde and high-va or tension, hi h fying still.

'in the delivered concentrated alcoho A leavin the rectifying column, it is submitted to sti boiling bodies like fusel o' and esters. T e hot weak, purified alcohol resultin from this is next introduced intoa large bo y of com-- paratively highly heated water in communi-- cation with a second or alcohol still where its volatile constituents, now mainly alcohol, are boiled oif. The vapors ascend throu h another column and are refractionated, t e alcohol being removed from the top of the column, either as vapor or liquid, and such amyl alcohol, etc. as was not removed from it in the uri ing still, being removed at the base of t e co umn and returned to said puri- The alcohol delivered is preferably of a strength between 38 and 39 Baum, or 86 to 88 per cent. by weight as permitting a good elimination of fusel oil and as bein of a oilin point allowing theheat of the or1ginal cru e alcoholic va ors to maintain it in "ebulition. The alcoho so obtained is introduced into the base of a rectifying still and here rectified to commercial strength of 43 to 44 -B., or 95 to 96 per cent. Any traces of amyl alcohol which may have. passed to this oint are removed from the base of the still, while aldehydes and low boiling esters are removed by means of a chilling condenser surmounting the rectifying column above the outlet of condensedrectified alcohol. As already stated some new aldehyde and esters are extremely likely to be formed in this rectification. Therefore to insure perfect 1puifity a ter 4 another treatment to remove low boiling impurities which are returned to the rectifyin still.

Both t e low boiling and the high boiling impurities separated in the rectifyin column are returned to the purifying still or treatment afresh.

In the accompanying more or less diagrammatic illustration is shown one type of apparatus of the many adapted to perform the above described process; Figure; lI-representing the apparatus as a whole, and Fig.2, 3, and 4 are sectional views of details. Y

In this illustration, A indicates there'ctify- 3 ing still as a whole, B the purifying'still and E the alcohol still. that these names are merely chosen for convenience of description.

Crude alcoholic vapors from a wine or beer still (not shown) enter through inlet 1 into the heatin chamber 2 in the base of the rec,- tifying sti A, serving to furnish the necessary heat for operating said still. Pi e 3..

rect connectiontherewith, base plate 21 being imperforate,'as shown in Fig.2. At the point where the condensate etc., enter the average composition of the liquid in the plates of the column will be the same as the incoming feed. Near 21 -a steam pipe 38 furnishes the heat required for the operation of the column and also some aqueous vapor. Passing downward, the condensates are gradually freed of their aldehyde and high tension impurities and emerge through pipe 4, just below the steam inlet in a purified condition. Arrows 1, show the directionof the flow. Flowing upward from the feed inlet the vapors" pass successively through several sections of the column lettered 44, 30 and 48, in their course passing a downflowing current of weak condensate, concentration as regards alcohol being avoided by water furnished through pipe 29. It is obvious that this water being furnished at a point only where 'alcohol would naturally tend to accumulate may therefore be less in amount than if supplied ata'lower point. In eflect, I thereby get the advantage of distilling from an excess ively weak alcohol without being obliged to actually dilute the whole mass to such an extent. In the lates of the column above the water inlet, t e fractionation of the alcohol free, vapors is effected, the condensed high boiling high vapor tension bodies'being withdrawn by pipe 31, communicating with the plates of the column immediately above the water inlet, sent through a worm s in a refri erator R, arrow 25 showing the direction 0 the flow, and ultimately assin out of the system through testing and with rawing apparatus 33. The low boiling bodies l ke a ehyde, which are not condensed with the amyl alcohol, esters, etc., pass upward It is to be understood I .75

through a plate column and enter a condensvalve controlled by S and P and down through-R to exit. Variationsin pressure in still head-G are communicated to P and act upon a body of water or other fluid (not shown) in its base and communicating with 22. 52 located in open column 41, 52 being a cylinderS which is provided with a suitable float or other device (not shown) to operate the valve for controlling the flow of cooling fluid. Valved pipe 47 offers an exit for uncondensible gases in J and G. -G may be tapped by pipe 46 at any convenient point I above its base, but J is preferably tapperi near its base to enable optional remova condensed liquid through 47. r

In G and J the vapors surround the cooling pipes shown. The urified weak alcohol from the purifying stil B leaves through 4, the flow being controlled by valve 5 and enters a mass of liquid contained in tank C, which has for its purpose to maintain constant the strength of the alcoholic liquid which is delivered through pipe 6 as shown by arrow 1 and the separate column D, the working of the said tank C being described in my United States Patent #778450; the flowis controlled by valve 7. In D it is treated by steam entering through inlet 39 and the evolved vapors are led back into the top of 0 through pipe 8 as indicated by arrow (1. Waste liquid free of alcohol is removed from D through 40 as indicated by arrow r a branch pipe 50 allowing a portion to be taken, as indicated by arrow 7 through worm s in refrigerator R to testing device 36.

TankC communicates through open column 41 with alcohol column E. In E fractionation is performed in the ordinary way by plates 49, any residual amylalcohol etc. being removed by pipe 10, as indicated by arrows t and returned to the purifying column B, the flow being controlled by valves 11, and 13. The alcohol which accumulates in the top plates of the column is removed through pipes 12 and 23 and sent, as shown by arrows b, to the rectifying column A. Flow is controlled by valves 14, 15 and 14 is actuated by a control mechanism chamber having a diaphragm 52* therein which is connected to the valve 14. The

' chamber contains a volatile liquid or a vapor therein.

changes in temperature will actuate the diaphragm andso o erate valve 14. 22 and 15 allow, respective y, the alcohol to be directed into the lowerplates of the column A or below the heating chamber 2 as may be desired.

Above the column E and in open communication therewith are condensing devices G and J, in most respects like G and J already this concentration is readily boiled by the original crude alcoholic vapors in the steam chamber, 2, of rectifying column A. Rectification proceeds on the cups and plates as usual, and whatever fuseloil still remains accumulates inthe lowerplates of the series above the alcohol inlet and is removed and returned to the purifying still, B, for treatment anew, as is indicated by arrow 29*. Rectified alcohol is removed from the column at a relatively high point by means of pipe 16,.the flow, and consequently the richness, being controlled by the usual means 53, operating on valve 17. Any alcohol vapors rising above the outlet, through 16, into space 51 and secondary plate column H are condensed and returned. Surmounting H and in open connection therewith is an accessory condenser G, substantially like G and G, already described, cooling fluid flowing through it as shown by w and being controlled by S and P.

Some aldehyde and esters are formed in this rectification, however, vas has already been stated, and it isdesirable to recover these. For this purpose from J, which is substantially like J and J, the condensate of the vapors escaping from G is removed by pipe 24, as is shown by arrows h, and is sent to the purifying column B for treatment By reason of the formation of these bodies the rectified alcohol drawn from rectifying still A is still not quite as pure as is desirable. It is therefore further treated in -F, which is a short column still of the ordinary type, being passed downward against the heat from a heating chamber in the base, supplied with heating agent through 42 and having an exhaust at 43. Volat1lized low boiling bodies, together with considerable alcohol, leave F through pipe 37, as indicated by arrow h and are returned tothe suppelmentary column H above A for treatment. Their alcohol rejoins that in the column below while aldehyde, etc pass upward into J.

The treated, now very pure, alcohol leaves F i run low in alcohol as will happen when alco= hol is introduced to the plate column through 23 instead of below or around the heating chamber through 22, they may be returned to tank C through pipe 19, valved at 20, as indicated by arrow 0.

What I claim is:

1. The process of preparing high grade alcohol and byroducts which consists in distilling weak a cohol in a column still against a descending current of water, fractionating and concentratin the volatile by-products in the still abov'et e 1point of water inlet,and

removing the alcoho below said point.

2. The process of preparing high grade alcohol and by-products which consists in distilling alcohol of'a strength of about 30 per cent. by weight in a column still against a descending current of water, fractionating and concentrating the volatile by-products in the still above the oint of water inlet, and removin the alco 01 below said point.

3. T e process of preparing pure alcohol which consists in boiling off volatile impurities from Weak alcohol in a column still and passing the evolved vapors against a descending stream of Water to prevent elimination of alcohol, removing the purified alcohol below the point of Water inlet and separating residual fusel oil from the same in a second still arranged to deliver moderately concentrated alcohol, and finally'concentrating and rectifying said alcohol in a rectifying still.

4. The process of reparing pure alcohol which consists in boiling oif impurities in a column still and passing the evolved vapors against a descending stream of water to prevent elimination of alcohol, removing the urified alcohol below the point of Water inet and separating residual fusel oil from the same in a second still arranged to deliver moderately concentrated alcohol, concentrating and rectifying said alcohol, and eliminating low-boi ing impurities therefrom.

5. heflprocess of preparing pure alcohol which consists in boiling ofl impurities from weak alcohol in a column still and passing the evolved vapors against a descending stream of water to prevent elimination of alcohol, removing the purified weak alcohol and separating residual fusel oil from the same in a second still arranged to deliver moderately concentrated alcohol, and finally concentrating and rectifying said alcohol in a rectifying still.

' 6. The process of preparing pure alcohol which consists in boiling off impurities from .weak alcohol in a column still and assing the evolved vaporslagainst a descen mg stream of water to prevent elimination of alcohol, removing the purified weak alcohol and separating residua second still arranged to deliver moderately concentrated alcohol, concentrating and rectifying said alcohol, and eliminating low boiling im urities therefrom.

7. e process of reparing pure alcohol which consists in boi ing ofi' impurities from weak alcohol of a strength of about 30 per cent. by-weight in a column still and passmg the evolved vapors against a descending stream of water to prevent elimination of the alcohol, removing the purified Weak' alcohol and separating residual fusel oil from the same in a second still arranged to deliver fusel oil from the same in a moderately concentrated alcohol, and finally concentrating and rectifying said alcohol in a rectifying still.

8. The process of reparing pure alcohol which consists in bo' ing off'impurities from ,Weak alcohol of a strength of about 30 per cent. by weight in a column still and passmg the evolved vapors against a descending stream of water to prevent elimination of alcohol, removing'the urified weak alcohol and separating the resi, ualfuseloil from the 'same in a second. still arranged to deliver moderately concentrated alcohol, concentrating and rectifying said alcohol, and eliminating low boiling impurities therefrom.

9. The process of preparing ure alcohol from Weak alcoholic vapors whic consists in passing said vapors through the heating chamber 'of a rectifying still, introducing the efflux product from the chamber into a purifying still, therein boiling off impurities while retaining alcohol in solution, concentrating thealcohol from said purifying still in a second still and eliminating residual fusel oil, and rectifying said concentrated alcohol in the rectifyingstill by the heat' of" the original weak alcoholic vapors.

10. The process of preparing ure alcohol from weak alcoholic vapors whic consist'sfiri passing said vapors through the heatingv chamber of a rectifying still, introducing-"the efflux product from the chamber into a puri-. fying still, therein boiling ofl impurities while retaining alcohol in solution, concentrating the alcohol from said purifying still in a second still and eliminating residual:

chamber of a rectifying still, introducing the efflux product from the chamber into a purifying still, therein boiling off impurities trated alcohol from the second still in said rectifying still by the heat of the original weak alcoholic vapors, returning elmnnated hi h and low boiling impurities to the punfym still, and withdrawing the rectified alcohol. r

12. The process of preparing ure alcohol from weak alcoholic vapors whic consists in passing said vapors through the heatingchamber of a rectifying still, introducing the efflux product from the chamber into a purifying still, therein boiling off impurities while retaining the alcohol in solution, concentrating the alcohol from said purifying still in a second still and returning tail products to the purifying still, rectifymgthe concentrated alcohol from the second still 111 said rectifying still by the heat of the original weak alcoholic vapors, returning eliminated high and low boiling impurities to the purifying still, withdrawing the rectified alcohol and eliminating low boiling impurities there from.

13. The process of purifying alcohol which consists in introducim the same in diluted form into a column still at a point well above the bottom, introducing heating vapors intothe bottom portion of the still, introducing a descendin stream of water at a point. above the alcohdl inlet, removing high boiling impurities from the still at a point above the water inlet, removing low boiling impurities at a point still further above the same, and finally removing the alcohol, still in the diluted form, from the bottom of the still.

14. The process of preparing ure alcohol which consists in rectifying alco ol-in a rectifying column, removing and re-rectifying the alcohol therefrom, returning evolved vapors to the original rectifying column, and removing the re-rectified alcohol.

15. The rocess of preparing pure alcohol and bypro ucts which consists in distilling off volatile impurities from Weak alcohol in a column still and passing the evolved vapors past a descending stream of water in said still' to prevent elimination of alcohol, removing the purified alcohol from the base of the still, removing high-boiling high-Va or tension impurities from ,a point in the co umn immediately above the point of water inlet and separating and removing low boiling impurities from a'point above the outlet for said high-boiling impurities. I

16. The process of reparing pure alcohol and by-products whic consists in distilling off volatile impurities from weak. alcohol of a strength of about 30 per cent. by weight in a column still and passing the evolved vapors past a descending stream of water in said still to prevent elimination of alcohol, re-

moving the purified alcohol from the base pf the still, removin high-boiling high-vapor tension im urities om a point in the column immediatey above the point of water inlet andseparately removing low boiling impurities from a oint above the outlet .for said high-boiling impurities.

17. The process of preparing pure alcohol and by-products which consists in distilling ofl' volatile impurities from weak alcohol in a column still and passing the evolved vapors past a descendin stream of water to prevent elimination of a cohol, removing the eliminated impurities to a place of storage, removing the purified alcohol, further purifying and concentrating it, and restoring the newly eliminated impurities to the original still.

18. The rocess of preparing pure alcohol which consists in distilling away volatile impurities from weak alcohol of a strength of about 30 per cent. by weight, concentrating the alcohol, distilling it away from less volatile impurities in a concentrated state, and finally rectifying it to high concentration.

19. The process of reparing pure alcohol which consists. in disti ling away volatile impurities from weak alcohol of a strength of about 30 per cent. by weight, concentrating it to about 86 per cent. by weight and simultaneously distilling it away from less volatile impurities, and finally rectifying to about 95 per cent.

20. The process of preparing pure alcohol and by-products which consists in eliminating volatile impurities from weak alcohol in a column still, separately collecting low and high boiling im urities, removing the purified alcohol 8.I1( further purifying the same in a concentrated state, and returning the eliminated impurities to the original still.

21. In the art of alcohol manufacture, the process which consists in passing the vapors of weak alcohol into the heating chambers of a rectifying still, whereby the rectifying still is heated and the said vapors condensed, removing impurities from the weak alcohol, concentrating the weak alcohol, and passing the concentrated alcohol into said rectifying still'to be rectified by the heat of such vapors.

22. Inthe art of alcohol manufacture, the process which consists in purifying weak alcohol, concentrating the Weak alcohol in a column still, passing the concentrated alcohol into a rectifying column still at a point above its base, removing fusel oil for further treatment from a point in the column not far above the alcohol inlet, removing the rectifiedalcohol from a point in the column above the fusel oil outlet and below the top of the column,and removing very volatile impurities from the top of the column for condensation. 23. In the 'art of alcohol manufacture, the process which consists in purifying the alcool in a weak state, purifying this in a concentrated state, rectifying the alcohol in a column still, removing the rectified alcohol from a oint below the top of the column, In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my re-recti ing the alcohol to remove aldehyde hand in presence of two witnesses.

-and other volatile impurities and ass' such removed va ors back into the regifyfig t EMILE GUILLAUME' 5 still above the a c-ohol outlet but below the Witnesses:

top of the still, and finally eliminating alde- JULEs FAYOLLET,

hyde from the top of the'still. AUGUSTUS E. INGRAM. 

